Commenting on the employees' actions Willie Paterson, Scottish Regional Secretary of Community, who is inside the Kilwinning factory with the members, said:

'Over 200 Simclar employees attended a Community Branch meeting last night at which the strength of feeling of about how disgracefully Simclar have treated them was palpable. It was agreed that peaceful protests would be held outside the Irvine and Kilwinning factories this morning. During the process of the Kilwinning protest the factory gate was opened and the workforce took an instant decision to occupy the factory.

'Sam Russell, the Chair of the Simclar Group, appears to have no shame about how he is treating the loyal, highly-skilled workforce in Ayrshire, many of whom have up to 18 years service with the Company. Unlike the employees recently made redundant by NCR in Dundee - who were Simclar's biggest customer - the Simclar employees will not receive the redundancy pay and the consultation period that that they are contractually and legally entitled to, despite being the largest creditor of the business.

'Community believes that it is clear that Simclar has manipulated the situation in order to dump their responsibilities on to the taxpayer. We believe that co-called entrepreneurs like Mr Russell should be made to live up to their responsibilities to their employees and that tax-payers should be angry about another example of corporate greed for which they will end up picking up the bill.'